Magnitude-7 quake in Tibet kills 16 and collapses hundreds of homes

What happened

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck Baqên County in Tibet's Nagqu region on Thursday night, according to Chinese state media. The Guardian reported at least 16 deaths and 54 injuries, while the BBC, citing the local emergency management bureau, reported 65 injured, including 11 with severe injuries. This account uses the figure carried by the lead source.

The US Geological Survey placed the epicentre 191km east-north-east of Nagqu, in a sparsely populated high-altitude area, at a depth of 11 miles. It said the area sits around 4,800m above sea level.

Rescue and relief

More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed for rescue work, alongside roughly 350 fire and rescue personnel and over 300 police officers. Supplies sent to the region included 1,000 prefabricated housing units and about 3,000 tents.

Rockfalls closed part of national highway 317 to all but emergency vehicles. Power was cut in some areas and communication was down in places, though reports said electricity had been restored in some areas by Friday morning. More than 12,400 people were relocated. The government allocated 50 million yuan for relief.

Conditions on the ground

Residents spent the night outdoors in subzero temperatures, sheltering in tents and cars for fear of aftershocks. The USGS recorded at least seven aftershocks between magnitudes 4.3 and 5.2, while state media reported more than 400 tremors. Intermittent snow was forecast over the following three days. China's president called for an all-out rescue effort.